Two Cleveland police officers were acquitted Friday of charges they assaulted a handcuffed suspect and related misdemeanorsafter a judge concluded they acted appropriately in light of their prisoner's misconduct.

Partners Adonna Perez and Lyndsey Bissell tearfully hugged each other in Cleveland Municipal Court after Judge Marilyn Cassidy delivered the verdict. They later declined to talk with reporters on the advice of their lawyer, Patrick D'Angelo.

But D'Angelo criticized the prosecution, accusing city law officials of being "trigger-happy" and too willing to file use-of-force charges against police.

City Law Director Robert Triozzi took issue with D'Angelo's criticism.

"The facts in the case presented this week merited both prosecution and a conviction," Triozzi said in an email. "Nevertheless, in an adversarial system, despite our disagreement, we respect the process and the decision."

Prosecutors accused Perez and Bissell of assaulting a female prisonerat the downtown police headquarters on Dec. 27, 2010. The officers also were charged with misdemeanor counts of violating a suspect's civil rights, and dereliction of duty. In addition, Perez was charged with falsification, obstruction of justice and obstruction of official business.

Cassidy, who presided over the non-jury trial, said she did not see or hear any evidence that Perez and Bissell had done anything wrong. She said it was clear that their prisoner, Lajerrica Welch, had been drunk, abusive and resisted the officers' attempts to keep her under control.

The judge studied several video recordings of the officers and their prisoner that night. The videos had no audio, but Cassidy said she sawWelch step on Perez's foot, struggle, arch her back and throw back her head as if to head-butt Perez before the officer slammed the prisoner to the concrete floor.

A few minutes later, as the trio exited an elevator on the way to the booking desk, the recordings caught Welch tumble to the floor, followed by Perez who fell on top of her.

Bissell appeared to be nothing more than an observer on both tapes, but was charged with failing to intervene on behalf of Welch during the altercations.

The judge said she found no glaring omissions in the officers' police reports.

Perez testified Monday that she felt threatened by Welch. The officer described Welch as being drunk, violent, hostile and verbally abusive when Perez and Bissell picked her up outside a nightclub in the Flats and transported her to jail.

Perez said Welch resisted her attempts to secure her and that she felt she was losing control of the situation. The officer accused Welch of intentionally falling to the floor at the elevator, and pulled Perez down with her.

Welch's only injuries were several scrapes.

Welch testified that she did nothing to deserve the violent treatment by Perez. She denied using abusive language or ever being disrespectful toward police officers -- claims that five officers sought to refute, testifying that their encounters with Welch had found her to be belligerent, verbally abusive and uncooperative.

Perez and Bissell werelaid off from the police department, but still must fight for their jobs, D'Angelo said. City officials said previously that they intended to seek their termination at the end of the trial.

The Perez and Bissell case was one the latest incidents in a series of brutality accusations made against Cleveland officers. Federal agents are investigating accusations that four officers assaulted a Cleveland Heights man who police said led them on a New Year's Day chase.

Also, last month, a couple filed a civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court that accuses an officer of assaulting their teenage son, who has Down syndrome, after mistaking him for a robbery suspect last summer.

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